From the Artist: These juicy ripe homegrown tomatoes didn't last long enough for me to complete my project. I'm glad I took several photos of them. When I began sketching it was simply eight tomatoes on a plate. Later I added the peppers and several tiny tomatoes into the composition.

From the Painting Guide: Tomatoes do tend to ripen quickly, so perhaps they're the ideal subject for someone wanting to practice painting faster than normal?!

Maybe the 'trick' would be to start with them green, working on getting the composition, tones, and other elements painted, and then lastly glazing in the reds?

Things to Consider When Looking at This Painting:
Background/Foreground: Look at how the background and foreground are painted, how they provide a setting for the elements of the still life while allowing them to dominate totally. How the oranges work with the colors in the tomatoes and peppers. The choice of a background/foreground color shouldn't be arbitrary or done with little thought; it can make or break a painting.

Notice also how the foreground and background are differentiated by the direction of the pastel marks -- it's most noticeable on the right. If the foreground marks had also been vertical, there wouldn't be a sense of the still life elements sitting on a surface. A great example of how direction of visible brushmarks is relevant in creating form.